The Rose Child
by Gamer95
Summary: Years after the events of RWBY. The Grimm have been wiped out, bringing peace back to the land of Vale. One team of huntresses goes to take care of a criminal in a far-off city...and it is there that their leader finds a new family member...One that requires delicate love and care after years of abuse and neglect...
1. Chapter 1

"Man, these missions have been pretty peaceful lately, haven't they?" Yang Xiao Long pointed out, stretching her arms over the unconscious form of a common criminal. "It's almost sad the Grimm are gone...I kinda miss pounding their ugly faces in."

"You would feel that way, wouldn't you?" Weiss Schnee sniffed as she rolled her eyes.

"As fun as killing Grimm may have been, I for one am glad they're finally gone." Blake Belladonna said, also a bit miffed by her partner's comment.

"Yeah, Yang!" Ruby Rose threw in. "No Grimm, less people getting hur-" She had placed her hand on her hip where the pocket of her skirt was...and she noticed that it was empty. Her eyes widened, and she began digging through both pockets. Her team looked at her, exasperated.

"You lost your wallet again, didn't you sis?" Yang asked as she rolled her eyes.

"...Yes..." Ruby said, grinning sheepishly. Yang turned to her other team mates and opened her mouth to speak...

"We know the drill." Blake rolled her eyes as she turned and walked to look for the leader's wallet elsewhere.

"I am seriously considering gluing that wallet to your arm, Ruby." Weiss said, shaking her head as she walked away.

"Well, let's get your wallet back...AGAIN..." Ruby grinned sheepishly as all of her team mates went looking for her lost item. Sighing in annoyance with herself, the young woman turned around and went to look for her wallet.

**Twenty minutes later...**

Ruby was now on her hands and knees as she searched around for the missing wallet.

"Ugh...Come on...Where is that stupid thing?" The young woman muttered under her breath...until her hand clasped around something familiar...Picking up the object, Ruby grinned and fist pumped when she saw it was, in fact, her wallet. She sighed with relief and placed the item back in her pocket.

She was about to turn and leave...but then her ears picked up a terrible sound...First, it sounded like a man yelling obscenities. Then, she heard the sound of a child screaming in pain. The huntress turned to see a normal looking house...but she knew that the sounds were coming from it.

The noises made her extremely uneasy. She was a huntress, it was her job to make sure people were safe. So, she decided it couldn't hurt yo take just a little peek... Using her semblance to quickly dash to the window, she looked inside...and promptly placed a hand over her mouth in horror.

There was a massive blob of a man towering over the tiniest little boy she had ever seen in her life. The poor little thing probably wouldn't even come up to her knee, and here this fat bastard was raining down a series of punches and kicks all over his little body, drawing blood and causing nasty bruises. Then, the man lifted the child up by the scruff of his shirt, and Ruby could see the spit flying into the poor child's face as the man yelled. She listened closely, and managed to make out him saying...

"YOU DO NOT SCREAM IN MY HOUSE, YOU WORTHLESS, UGLY LITTLE FREAK! YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED IN THAT CAR CRASH WITH THOSE WORTHLESS PARENTS OF YOURS! YOU NEVER DO ANYTHING RIGHT! THE CHORES ARE NEVER FULLY COMPLETED! AND THEN YOU TRY TO BLAME IT ON DUDLEY?! HE'S A PERFECT CHILD! YOU'RE NOT A CHILD, YOU'RE A DISGUSTING ABOMINATION, AND YOU'RE DAMN LUCKY THAT WE WERE WILLING TO TAKE YOU INTO OUR HOME! NOW TOMORROW, THE CHORES BETTER BE DONE, OR I WILL KILL YOU SO WE DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOUR INEPTITUDE! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

With every word the man spoke, Ruby felt herself grow more and more enraged, to the point where she was digging her fingers into the windowsill. And when the fatass threatened to kill the poor little boy over not doing chores properly, she had had enough. It was her job to help those in need...and this poor kid needed help more than ever.

Vernon was about to drag Harry back to his cupboard, when the sound of shattering glass made him snap his head around. A figure had crashed through his window and rolled upon hitting the ground, before stopping in a kneeling position, allowing Vernon to get a good look at her.

She was pale, and had neck-length reddish-black hair, which covered one of her eyes. She was wearing a black corset, with a matching skirt and leggings, as well as a pair of black boots.

And she was also pointing a rifle at him.

Vernon screamed at the sight of the gun, and immediately held Harry in front of him as a human shield. The little boy looked at the gun, eyes wide with terror, and then closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, waiting to be shot.

Ruby scowled at the man. To think he would stoop so low as to use a child as a human shield...

"Let the poor kid go, or so help me I am going to RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!" Vernon was terrified. This woman was clearly an experienced huntress...and she had caught him red-handed abusing the freak. Self-preservation took over his mindset, and with a terrified whimper, he roughly tossed the child in his hands so that he landed at the woman's feet in a crumpled heap.

Ruby stared in shock as the child hit the ground...then he let out a pitiful whimper that took a butcher's knife to her heartstrings. Tentatively, she placed a hand on the tiny boy's shoulder. He flinched at the touch, but gradually calmed himself when he realized she wasn't hurting him.

Ruby's free fist clenched, and she began trembling with anger. Slowly, she rose to her feet, eyes now completely hidden by her hair. Vernon backed up against the wall, knowing that she meant business.

"...Why?" Vernon looked at her nervously. "Why did you do that to a child?" Vernon couldn't find the words to speak. Ruby slowly began to approach him. "Do you think I'm just gonna let you get away with that? I'm a huntress. It's my job to protect people...even if it's from other people. I think it's high time someone gave you a TASTE OF YOUR OWN MEDICINE!"

Screaming the last words, Ruby slammed the blunt end of Crescent Rose, her beloved scythe, into the fat man's stomach. As the man fell, she kicked him as hard as she could nonstop, then sat on top of him and began nailing him with a series of punches to the face. She may not be that physically strong normally...but since she was far beyond pissed, her punching power could give even Yang's a run for their money. By the time she was done, Vernon's face was covered with blood and bruises. He groaned in pain, and Ruby stepped off of him, scowling. Then, she turned her attention back to the boy. He was desperately trying to get back to his feet...but his injuries were too severe. He could barely even lift his arm...

Ruby's expression softened at the pitiful display, and she approached the child and knelt by his side.

"Hi there." She said, trying to remain cheerful to ease the tension. Harry's expression contorted into one of sheer terror, and he curled up into a ball.

"P-Please...don't hurt me..." He whimpered.

Ruby's smile faded, and she teared up a little at the child's fear. Wiping the tears away on her sleeve, she forced herself to smile. "Hey, come on, little guy." She said, a barely audible quake in her voice. "I wouldn't hurt a little cutie like you." Harry looked at her, appearing slightly surprised...then he flinched when she put a hand on his shoulder. He waited to get punched...but all she did was help him sit. He looked up into her smiling face, confused. "...I can get you out of here...if you want me to." Harry's eyes widened. A nice woman wanted to take him away from the pain and suffering the Dursley's inflicted on him? This was something he thought could only happen in dreams...Harry looked up at Ruby, and nodded his head shyly.

Ruby grinned, then gently scooped him into her arms, his little head resting snugly on her shoulder. He at first tensed at the touch...but forced himself to calm down, worried about offending the pretty lady. He took note of how nice it was to be held like this...and let out a soft yawn. Slowly, his eyes closed, and he fell into slumber.

Ruby's lips formed into a genuine smile at how peaceful the previously terrified little boy now looked. She rubbed the top of his head...and barely held back a squeal of delight as he snuggled up closer to her.

"Aw, you're just so CUTE! I just never wanna stop hugging you! I wanna pinch your little cheeks, and feed you cookies, and-" As she babbled on and on about how cute Harry was, she found herself walking out of the house, completely forgetting about the unconscious Vernon.

_With the others..._

"Any luck?" Yang asked as she regrouped with Blake and Weiss.

"No." Weiss huffed. "You know I wasn't joking when I said I was considering gluing that wallet to her arm."

"I didn't find it either." Blake shrugged.

"Well, I hope Rubes found it, or else-"

"Uh...Yang? Does your sister have a bleeding child in her arms?" Yang blinked, and she and Weiss turned to see their friend walking down the sidewalk. Sure enough, she was holding a sleeping, injured child tightly in her arms.

"Hey, uh...Ruby?" Yang said. Ruby didn't notice her, as she was too busy looking down adoringly at the tiny little boy and audibly cooing at how cute he was.

"-And I'm gonna buy you a little panda costume on Halloween, and we'll get lots of candy, and then I'll put some cookies in your trick-or-treat bag because Halloween needs cookies, and-"

"Ruby!" Weiss snapped.

"EEK!" Ruby squeaked at the harsh tone. "Oh...Hey girls! How'd you find the house?"

"...Ruby, take a look around you." Blake said flatly. Ruby blinked, then realized she had wandered away from the house without even realizing it.

"Geez...I could have gotten lost! This kid's cuteness is very distracting..." Ruby cooed out the last part, gently resting her chin on top of the boy's head.

"Okay, Ruby...What the hell is going on?!" Yang exclaimed, confused.

"SHHHHH!" Ruby hissed harshly, covering one of Harry's ears with one hand while smothering his other ear against her body to drown out the noise. "Are you TRYING to wake him up?!" Yang rubbed the back of her head and apologized.

"So...Why do you have a child, Ruby?" Blake asked. The other three girls were taken aback as their leader adopted a grim expression on her face and tightened her hold on Harry.

"I...I saved him from an abusive caretaker...H-He was so much bigger than the poor thing...Look at how tiny he is...And then the guy was like a mountain by comparison...He...He was punching him...Kicking him...Calling him useless...a freak...Telling him he should have died...And then he threatened to kill him...I...I beat the SH*T out of that bastard..." Ruby's friends stared in shock. It took a lot to get Ruby to swear... Then they noticed the tears forming in her eyes as she put her chin back on the little boy's head. Weiss looked down, hiding her sad expression. Blake's cat ears folded back against her head as she clenched her fists. Yang crossed her arms and muttered "Sick bastard..." under her breath.

Weiss looked up, trying to maintain a stoic demeanour. "So, what are you going to do with him?" Ruby adopted a thoughtful expression...then smiled at her friends sincerely.

"I'm gonna adopt him, and make sure he gets the life he deserves."


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm going to adopt him, and make sure he gets the life he deserves."

Weiss, Blake and Yang's eyes widened, and they stared at Ruby with shocked expressions. The young leader blinked and tilted her head in confusion.

"What?" She asked. Yang was the first to snap out of her stupor, and she approached her little sister, waving her hands.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Uh...adopting him? You...sure about that, sis? You don't seem to be the...uh...parental type." Ruby gasped, offended, then tightened her grip on Harry with a glare.

"I don't care! I'm gonna give him all the love he needs! I'll feed him, and play with him, and read him bedtime stories, and-"

"Ruby." Weiss interrupted. "Taking care of a child is a very big responsibility. I'm not sure you have that level of responsibility." Ruby's cheeks puffed out in irritation.

"And why not?"

"Because...well...you're Ruby!" Ruby pouted at those words.

"What do you think, Blake?" She asked. "Do you want to tell me I can't take care of the little cutie too?" Blake smiled.

"Actually, I fully support your decision." The other three girls stared at their teammate in shock. "I can tell you want to help him, you have a good heart, a stable job as a huntress, you'll have time to spend with him...I don't see what the trouble is." Weiss and Yang still stared at her as if she had started randomly doing the can-can, but Ruby grinned widely.

"Thanks, Blake! I'd hug you, but...kinda hugging someone else right now, and I don't wanna stop. ...Like, ever. He's too adorable."

Then, she felt something stirring in her arms. Blinking, she looked down to see the child was waking up.

Harry groggily opened his eyes. He felt...oddly comfortable. This wasn't his cupboard... Opening his eyes all the way, he saw black. He looked up...and he screamed at the sight of a stranger smiling down at him. He looked around and saw three other people, and began to panic. He weakly struggled in the woman's grasp, whimpering and breathing heavily and rapidly.

Team RWBY was taken aback by the child's reaction. Weiss, Blake and Yang all racked their minds, trying to think of a way to calm him down...

"Shhhhh..." The other three girls looked over and saw that Ruby had tightened her hold on the little boy, and was currently stroking the back of his head. "It's okay. We're not gonna hurt you. Just calm down...Calm down..." The three girls were taken aback by how soothing their leader's voice sounded when she said those words...and even more so when they actually worked, as the child gradually stopped struggling, and his frightened noises ceased, though he did still tremble a little.

Ruby smiled and placed a hand on the boy's cheek...but immediately pulled it back with a yelp. "Whoa, you're cold as ice, little guy... Yang, take my hood off." Yang raised a brow, but unattached the hooded cape from her little sister. The young leader grabbed it in one hand and immediately wrapped it around the child's tiny body, leaving only his head visible. Ruby smiled in satisfaction. "There! Nice and toasty!"

Harry was confused...but content. He decided not to question the woman's kindness, as he placed his head snugly against her chest, enjoying the newfound warmth of the cape wrapped around him and the soothing feeling of her fingers caressing his hair.

"Hey, sweetie...Do you have a name?" Harry opened his eyes, and he looked up at the woman. She was smiling at him.

"H-Harry..."

"Hi, Harry. I'm Ruby." She pointed to each of the other three women. "This is Weiss..." Weiss nodded. "...Blake..." Blake smiled. "...And Yang!" Yang waved. "Well, now we know each other. That's good, right?" Harry nodded.

"H-Hi, Miss R-Ruby...Miss Weiss...Miss Blake...Miss Yang..." Ruby giggled, and the other three couldn't help but smile at the sound of his voice.

"Aww, is there anything about you that ISN'T cute?" Ruby gushed as she nuzzled the child.

"C-Cute? F-Freaks aren't cute..." Harry said softly.

"You're not a freak, sweetie. You're just like any other person." Ruby cooed softly. What had that BASTARD put into the poor thing's head...?

Harry stared at the woman in shock. But he WAS a freak! Uncle Vernon said so! Wait...Uncle Vernon...He was beaten up...why wasn't he back at the Dursley's...? Why did the pretty red-haired woman take him away? And...

Harry looked up at the woman holding him, a pitifully scared look in his eyes. "Wh-What's gonna happen to me now, Miss Ruby?" Ruby grinned so widely it actually caused her physical pain.

"You're gonna live with me, sweetie! I'm gonna take good care of you. You don't have to worry about your creep of an uncle ever again."

Harry was confused. She...actually wanted him? She wanted a useless little freak who couldn't do chores properly? He had no idea what to say...What if she eventually came to realize that he was a freak and got rid of him, or started hurting him, or called him mean names? But then, he once again looked into her smiling face. Something about the woman's smile melted away all objections he had to her taking care of him. It seemed so genuine, so determined to make sure he was safe and happy, so...dare he say it...loving... An unsure expression lingered on Harry's face for a few more moments...then he smiled.

Ruby cheered internally, glad she had made the child smile at least. She then ruffled his hair gently, slightly widening his smile.

"...Weiss, looks like we were wrong." Yang commented.

"AWW, THAT'S SO SWEET! RUBY'S AMAZING, SHE'S A GREAT MOTHER, SHE'S-" Weiss caught herself, and cleared her throat. "Uh...y-yes. I think we misjudged her."

Ruby overheard her team mates talking about her parenting skills and grinned. "I told you I could do it! You said I can't take care of him, but what do you call what I'm doing right now?" Then she remembered... "Oh no, he's still injured! We have to get him to a hospital, girls!"

"Come on, we'll get to my car." Weiss said. The team quickly piled into Weiss's car, Ruby getting in last. She sat in the backseat, Harry placed comfortably in her lap, and buckled both of them in tightly. Immediately after they were buckled in, the young woman threw her arms around her soon to be charge.

Harry couldn't believe his luck...He met someone who would actually care for him. He was curious...what did the future hold for him?


	3. Chapter 3

"Are we there yet?"

"Ruby, I know you're anxious to get the kid healed and all, and I think that's great...But if you say that one more time, I am going to hurt you." Weiss said calmly. Ruby pouted, then looked down at the child snuggled closely in her lap.

"But look at him...Can you really blame me for wanting him to...NOT be in pain?"

"We're almost there, sis. Hang tight." Yang assured.

"Right. In fact, we should be pulling up right about..." they neared a sign for the hospital. "...Now."

"Thank goodness! ParkparkparkparkPARK!"

"Okay, okay!" Weiss snapped, pulling into the closest parking spot. "There. Now let's get him checked i-" The white-haired woman was interrupted by something rushing past her at an intense speed, blowing her to the side slightly and messing up her hair. Blinking, she turned to see Blake's hair was also messed up.

"Ha! I knew she'd pull that!" Yang laughed as she stepped out of the car. "You guys should've let her out first." Weiss and Blake gave her death glares.

_Inside the hospital..._

The hospital clerk stood at the front desk, patiently waiting for someone to arrive. She blinked...and yelped when all of a sudden a young woman holding a child in her arms was standing in front of her, looking grim.

"Wh-Where did you come fro-"

"No time." Ruby interrupted, holding out the nervous child. "Heal him. Now."

The clerk blinked, then stared in shock at the condition the child was in. The bleeding, the cuts, the bruises... "What happ-"

"No time to explain, get a doctor."

"Right away, ma'am." Ruby smiled cheerfully.

"Thank you!" As the woman went to go get a doctor, Ruby carried Harry to the waiting chairs and sat down with him still snug in her lap. She smiled down at him. "Well, little guy, the doctors are gonna make your owies all better." She cooed. Harry smiled up at her, then yawned softly. Ruby giggled. "Sleepy again? You woke up not too long ago. Oh well. Take a little nap if you want." Harry smiled appreciatively, then placed his head on the huntress's chest once more and let sleep take him. Ruby couldn't take her eyes off of him...

"Hey, Rubes!" Ruby's head snapped towards the doors. Yang stepped in, followed by Weiss and Blake. "So, you get the kid checked in?" Ruby smiled at her big sister.

"Yep! The clerk's setting everything up right now!"

"All right." Blake said. "Now we're gonna need to talk about a few things." Ruby tilted her head.

"Like what?"

"Like stuff Harry will need if you're going to raise him." Weiss answered. "First, we have to make sure the man who abused him gets put to justice. Then there's the task of legally adopting him. We'll have to set up a room, and then he's going to need new clothes. Those clothes are blood stained, and far too big for him."

"Ooh, and we can't forget to buy him lots of toys!" Ruby added.

"Well...yes...You're going to spoil him, aren't you?" Weiss asked, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, you can bet on it." Ruby replied without missing a beat.

"Well, tell me you'll at least discipline him if he does something wrong!" Weiss argued.

"Well, yeah...but I don't think this sweet little angel has it in him to do anything wrong." Ruby said this last part as if she were praising a puppy. Then she looked up, slightly unsure. "Um...I don't think I have QUITE enough money on me to pay for all that myself..." Weiss smiled.

"Well, that's what you have me for." The woman adopted a surprised expression when she felt the leader's arm wrap around her.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyoutha-" Weiss rolled her eyes and hugged Ruby back, careful not to disturb Harry, who was now held in only one of Ruby's arms.

"Don't forget ya got me to help move his bed and stuff in." Yang added. "And I'll also help you shop for hi-"

"No, no, you don't have to help me shop, Yang. Really." Ruby said urgently, knowing that shopping with her sister was an all day task.

"I'll do what I can to help out too." Blake added. Ruby smiled.

"Thanks, girls... Thanks so much."

"Uh...excuse me, miss...goth..."

"Me?" Ruby asked, withdrawing her arm from Weiss's neck and turning to the clerk.

"Yes! The doctor will see the child now." Ruby leapt to her feet, and was about to use her semblance to dash down the hallway...but remembered she was carrying a sleeping child and stopped herself. Calmly and slowly, she approached the front desk.

"...Lead the way, ma'am." She said calmly. The clerk nodded and motioned for the team to follow. She lead them to a door.

"All right, the doctor is inside here. Good luck." And with that, she turned to go back to the front desk. Ruby grabbed the door handle, and turned it. The team looked inside the room to see the doctor sitting at a desk, writing things down. Ruby approached, stood beside him, and rapidly but gently rapped her hand against the desk. The doctor's head snapped up, and he turned to look at the huntress.

"Ah, hello, miss. What's your name?"

"Hi, I'm Ruby and this is Harry, he's sleeping so don't wake him. My team and I were on a mission, we were fighting a bad guy who robbed a bank, but then after we beat the guy, I found out my wallet was missing, so we split up to look for it, so I found myself in this neighbourhood, and I found my wallet, but then I heard screaming, and I'm a huntress so I have to protect people in trouble, so I went to go take a look at it, and I saw a big fat guy beating up this little sweetie through the window because he didn't do the chores right or something, so I jumped through the window and pointed my gun at him, and he used the poor baby as a shield, and when I told him to let him go he threw him at me, so I stopped to make sure he was okay before I beat him up, and then I took the sweetie out of the house, and I found my team, and we brought him here!" Ruby finally stopped to take a breath after finishing her sentence. The doctor looked confused.

"...A relative was abusing him, and Ruby saved him." Blake said flatly.

"I see..." The doctor replied. "By chance would you be Ruby Rose of Team RWBY?"

"Yep!" Ruby said proudly. "And these are my team mates!"

"Ah yes, well I'll certainly take a look at the poor boy. I'll examine him, and I'll be sure to let you girls know when I have a better understanding of what he's been through."

"Great! But let me just wake him up so he knows what's going on." The doctor nodded. Ruby gently nudged Harry, and he let out a soft whimper at being awakened. He looked up, and smiled sleepily at the huntress. She smiled back. "Hey, sweetie. So the doctor's gonna see you now, okay?"

"O-Okay...A-Are you gonna come in with me?" Ruby frowned.

"Sorry, honey, I can't. But I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here in the building when you're done, okay?" Harry hesitated, then nodded and allowed the doctor to take him away. As the doctor carried him to the medical room, Harry didn't take his eyes off of Ruby, who was giving him a smile that assured him that everything was going to be all right. Soon, Harry and the doctor were out of sight. Ruby sighed, knowing the wait was going to be agonizing.

_Forty five minutes later..._

"Ruby, please stop pacing. You're driving me crazy." Ruby sighed and sat down.

"Sorry, Weiss. I'm just tired of waiting."

"Looks like we don't have to wait any longer." Blake said, pointing to the doorway. Ruby immediately perked up upon seeing the doctor...but felt a sense of dread at the expression on the man's face. It was an expression of great urgency.

"D-Doctor...? What's wrong?" Ruby wasn't too sure she wanted to hear the answer... The doctor sighed.

"His injuries are worse than I thought...There's not an inch of skin on his body that isn't covered with some sort of injury, be it a bruise, a scrape, a scar, a burn...He has many broken bones, and suffered a fair amount of internal bleeding...We've managed to determine the causes of some of the injuries, believe it or not...Some of it was caused by a baseball bat, some by a belt, and I've noticed a few holes in his skin that looked like it was caused by nails...It's...it's a wonder the poor boy can even move..."

Weiss, Blake and Yang gaped in shock. They hadn't been aware the injuries were that bad. They were almost hesitant as they turned to see their leader's reaction...

Ruby's hair was completely covering her eyes. Her fists were clenched so tightly into her palms that they dug into them and drew a little bit of blood. She was trembling, and her teeth were gritted in fury. Her aura was flaring dangerously. Tears were streaming down her face. How could he...? How could such a ruthless, heartless monster exist? In her eyes, Vernon Dursley was worse than Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall would ever be...

"...I'm going to kill him." Weiss, Blake and Yang stared at their leader, wide-eyed in shock. Then, Ruby snapped her head up, revealing the wildly enraged expression in her eyes. "I'M GONNA F*CKING MURDER THAT SON OF A BITCH! I'M GONNA RIP HIS LIMBS OFF ONE BY ONE, THEN I'M GONNA SKIN HIM ALIVE AND ROLL HIM AROUND IN SALT, AND THEN I'M GONNA SLICE HIM OPEN AND RIP OUT HIS ORGANS AND STRANGLE HIM WITH THEM, AND THEN I'M GONNA CUT HIS F*CKING HEAD OFF AND HE IS GONNA GO STRAIGHT TO HELL, AND THEN THE DEVIL WILL FEEL SORRY FOR HIM AFTER I'M DONE WITH HIM!" Ruby's tangent was interrupted by multiple arms wrapping around her. She panted heavily, her rage slowly fading, and being replaced with an intense amount of sorrow for the poor, sweet, innocent little boy that had been subjected to such torment. "I-I'm sorry..." She said shakily. She turned to the doctor, who had hid behind the couch. "...A-Anything else?" The doctor stood and cleared his throat.

"B-By all accounts, the abuse the poor boy has suffered should have crippled him...He's a strong young man..." Ruby closed her eyes and bit her lip, whimpering as more tears cascaded from her eyes.

"Don't worry, Ruby." Weiss said, her, Blake and Yang not breaking the group hug. "We'll do everything we can to make sure he pays."

"He's not going to get away with it." Blake agreed.

"I especially won't let him." Yang growled.

"Th-Thanks, g-girls..." Ruby said softly.

"Miss Rose...There's an effective way to help him." Ruby turned to him. "We can try to transfer a little bit of my aura to the boy. That way, the injuries will heal more effectively. It's a rather lengthy process, however, as I can't give him too much at a time, I do need to give my aura time to regenerate after all... And it's likely that a fair amount of the scars will remain..."

Ruby, at this moment, wanted nothing more than to just run into the medical room, scoop Harry up in her arms, hold him tightly and never let go. But his health came first. Sighing shakily, she turned to the doctor and nodded.

"...Please...make his pain go away..." The doctor nodded.

"Very good. Please sit tight...This may take a while...

_Two hours later..._

Weiss didn't even bother to ask Ruby to stop pacing. After what they had just learned, she couldn't blame her...

The door opened, and Ruby instantly ran forward to meet the doctor. "How is he? Can I see him? Is he better?" The doctor chuckled tiredly, worn out from the aura transfer.

"He's doing alright now, Miss Rose. I've successfully managed to heal the injuries to his bones and organs. It felt as though there was...another force helping him heal and making my job that much easier...Well, anyway, you're free to see him no-" He didn't even finish his sentence as Ruby immediately used her Semblance to dash past him, sending him staggering to the side.

_With Harry..._

Harry had been very patient. He had done everything the doctor had asked of him, and the doctor was a nice man. But internally, the little boy really wanted to see Ruby again. She was nice, and she gave him hugs...Then, a terrifying thought came to him. What if she had left already?! What if he would never see her again?! His thoughts were interrupted when a blur ran into the room and slammed against the wall. Harry stared at the wall, and saw the familiar form of Ruby, flattened facefirst against the wall like a cartoon character, her limbs gone spread eagle. Harry gasped.

"M-Miss Ruby?! Are you okay?!" He called out. Ruby groaned in response, then regained her previous width and pulled herself out of the wall.

"I-I'm fine, sweetheart...Don't worry..." She mumbled, staggering around dizzily. She got over the dizziness quickly, though, and was by Harry's side in almost the blink of an eye, much to the little boy's surprise. "So...are you feeling better, honey?" Harry nodded shyly. Ruby smiled, tears threatening to fall once more. "I'm so glad." And with that, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug, holding his little head against her chest. Harry smiled and snuggled up. He had missed this... Ruby ran her fingers through the little boy's messy dark hair. "I'm gonna make sure you don't suffer anymore, sweetheart. I promise." Harry's eyes opened, wide with surprise. Then, tears of joy formed in them. He blinked them away, then wrapped his little arms around her waist.

Weiss, Blake and Yang had chosen this moment to come in. Weiss smiled widely at the scene before her, Blake nodded approvingly, and Yang teared up slightly, saying "My baby sister's grown up..." under her breath.

Ruby wasn't aware the others were watching. She continued to hold the boy she hoped would be her future child. Then, she got onto the bed with him, lifted him into her lap, and hummed a soft, gentle, soothing tune into his ear. **[It's the first part of Red Like Roses btw.]** Harry snuggled up closer...then was once again fast asleep.

"EEEEEEEE, RUBY HAS TO ADOPT HIM SOON!" Weiss gushed, not even caring about her indifferent image anymore.

"I told you guys." Blake said with a smirk.

"You go, sis." Yang flashed a thumbs up. Ruby heard them, blushed slightly, then turned to them with a smile. She raised a finger to her lips.

"Shh. Not so loud. ...You'll wake him." And with those words, she turned back to look at the little boy sleeping soundly in her arms. It was at this moment she knew...she was completely and irrevocably in love with the little boy.


End file.
